Here is an excellent report on Pamela Geller’s address at CPAC: “The Uninvited — Geller: Conservatives ‘Acquiesce’ to ‘Islamic Supremacist’ Groups,” by Warner Todd Huston at Breitbart News, March 20 (thanks to CGW):
Editors’ Note: In an effort to foster a more open and honest American dialog, Breitbart convened “The Uninvited” panel at CPAC 2013. This post is a part of a series continuing that dialog with the Breitbart News readers.
Anti-jihad activist Pamela Geller made a splash with her appearance at the special Breitbart breakout panel, “The Uninvited,” at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
In true Breitbart fashion, Breitbart News–itself a sponsor of the 2013 CPAC–held its own panel and stocked it with some of those voices that had been prevented from officially speaking at the conservative event. Breitbart News sponsored “The Uninvited,” a panel featuring topics, experts, and personalities that were absent from CPAC this year.
Of the many outspoken guests, Pamela Geller has a record of raising the hackles of the liberal media and even some on the right that are squeamish about her topics and her command of the facts. Geller didn’t disappoint when it came time for her to speak on Saturday afternoon.
“Truth is the new hate speech,” Geller proclaimed. She went on to warn the audience of a “stealth jihad” that was being waged against free speech right here in America; a war meant to silence any dissent against sharia law and radical Islam. Geller was incensed, noting that this stealth jihad is even being waged on behalf of radical Islam by the American right. She was sad to note that the right is too afraid to speak out for fear of being labeled Islamophobic.
This, Geller hinted, is one of the reasons she had been barred from being part of the CPAC schedule. She went on to criticize CPAC for silencing this subject, something she called a crime.
“And that you have a gathering of 12,000 people that come here to get educated, to get activated, and you are not educating or activating them in the greatest national threat that this country faces is a crime,” Geller claimed. “And for Al Cardenas to tell the Washington Post that I am banned because of this subject matter is egregious.”
Geller also reminded the audience that “Stealth Jihad” is the title of Robert Spencer’s book.
Geller stirred a wave of post-CPAC controversy for saying that Suhail Khan is worse than Anwar al-Awlaki for having helped silence dissent both in America and at the CPAC conference.
“Now, am I saying that Suhail Khan is as bad as Awlaki? He’s worse,” Geller claimed. “He’s worse because look what he’s done to this conference, look at the influence that they have had on this conference.”
After the conference, Geller noted on her blog that she was beset with criticism for saying that Kahn [sic] was worse than Awlaki.
Geller also discussed her various ad campaigns run on the New York subway system, on Chicago Buses, and in San Francisco.
The thrust of her address was that Americans are losing their right to free speech because too many are afraid to criticize radical Islam, sharia, and jihadism. We need to take that right back, she warned, or we will lose everything. “The antidote to bad speech,” Geller said in summation, “is more speech,” not less.
After the event was over, Geller was effusive about having been invited to speak at “The Uninvited.”
“It was a terrific panel, covering a wide range of topics,” Geller told Breitbart News.
“My topic being ‘The War on Free Speech,’ I was gratified that Breitbart News had the courage to invite me. The war on free speech, spearheaded by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its allied Islamic supremacist groups in the U.S., is much more pervasive than most people realize,” Geller said.
“One of its chief and least-noted manifestations is the willingness of conservatives, out of fear or ignorance or both, to acquiesce to the leftist/Islamic supremacist demonization and marginalization of voices of freedom,” she said.
“Kudos to the Breitbart organization for not playing along, and allowing discussion of this all-important issue.”